I am new here and I need some help to reach my weight goal. I am not sure what it is that should be eating to lose weight. By that I mean should I be eating more protein than carbs? Should I be taking protein shakes/supplements?

I guess I need more of a guideline of what foods/things I should be incorporating into my daily routine to help me lose weight.

Currently I weigh 188 pounds and I am 5'3. I would like to get down to 135-140. I don't really have a time frame but I want to make sure whatever I am doing is working for me. Currently I am exercising about 40 minutes 5 days a week. Started a month ago. I am doing brisk walking/jogging.

I have eliminated sweets/sodas/junk/fried foods/alcohol from my daily routine.

I see a lot of people here who have reached amazing weight goals and I would like to know what people have been doing that has been working for them.

I usually eat 5 to 6 meals of lean protein and complex carbs. Like a normal day for me is 1/2 oatmeal and eggs, tuna salad on ww wheat, chicken with veggies, protein shake mixed with berries & a banana, chicken with brown rice and veggies. That's just an example they are millions of ways to mix lean protein with complex carbs. And you dont' have to drink a protein shake if you don't want to. I like them because they taste like they are bad for you and they are not. It's like a mid day treat

Lunarstar - good for you, you are doing a lot of right things. Alcohol is bad if you are a beer drinker like me - real bad! You need to ensure you are lifting weights as part of your workout routine, you can run your butt off but you add 20 of weights and you will see great things happen. If you are fighting bellie fat that won't help - I suggest two things that helped me - a personal trainer and NO Carbs for 2 - 3 weeks. It is tough and not fun but you will literally watch the fat melt. I used atkins but whatever works for you - you can just check out phase one on their website. I used it as a kick start and maintained the 33lbs I lost. Wishing you continued success
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Lunnster... I was just reading your reply because I was hoping some of the same tips would apply for me, but I have a question. If you go 2-3 weeks with no carbs, what did you eat? I understand no bread/pasta/sweets because they are carby. But the thing is... carrots have carbs, apples have carbs, fruits and veggies seem to be packed with them. So what do we eat? I am so confused! The more I look into what is in food, more things are carby than not. Yikes!!!

When most people say 0 carbs they are generally referring to grains and sugar. The amount of carbs you get from vegetables and fruits, even super sweet fruits, is next to none even if you eat salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Your body makes more glucose in a day than you get from eating like that (720 calories worth or about 180g of sugar). It's hard to eat that much salad in a day. And you don't get the mood-boosting action of the carbs like you get from bread because they are locked away in the soluble and insoluble fiber. That's why lunnster says, justifiably, it's not very fun.

Disclaimer: I'm not professionally qualified to make any formal recommendations. I've just done my homework and I'm my own guinea pig. All of my data, unless otherwise cited, comes from a sample size of n=1 (me).

I like the three rules Nik has in his signature. For me I restrict my 'simple' carbohydrates like white breads, pasta, sugar and processed foods. Instead I eat whole grain products fruit and vegetables. (I have substituted and cut back on the amounts.) I believe most of your calories should come from whole foods but if you can't keep your protein intake where you want then protein shakes are a healthy supplement. I try to keep my protein around 30% of my calories. I don't worry about my fat intake as I know it is all either from whole foods or the olive oil I cook with.

I have taken the approach that this is a long term lifestyle change for me and nothing (even french fries) are forbidden. But I also now understand the calorie baggage of foods and so I limit my consumption of these high calories foods. This way I haven't denied myself anything and I am happy with my choices that help me be a healthier person.

As I have posted before, if you think you can diet and exercise short term then return to your old ways without ballooning back to your current weight then you really haven't thought this through. You need a long term plan that you can live with to be at that lighter healthier weight.

Everybody is different. Do what works for you and don't do what doesn't work. This may take some trial and error. A lot of people advocate avoiding carbs to lose weight, but my opinion is that carbs are not the enemy. Just eat good ones, like fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I did not avoid carbs and I did lose weight. By the same token, I didn't eat 90% of calories from carbs, and I didn't eat a lot of sugar or white flour, either.

__________________Cassie

And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.
-John Steinbeck

I am another... i quit eating bread, pasta, rice, white flour products, any restaurant food, and any processed or premade foods. Meat portions for dinner are the size of my palm (4 oz) and lots and lots of vegetables and fruit. I have never been hungry or miss my old foodie ways.

absolutely not, as long as you keep your calories a few hundred under your BMR you will lose weight no matter what you eat. Obviously it's best to consume your carbs from fruits, vegetables and whole grains but don't fall for the carbs make you fat bit.